The members of the Annapolis Group, an organization of the leading national independent liberal arts colleges, come together to share mutual interests and information that will strengthen their respective educational programs. They work cooperatively and collectively to promote greater public understanding and recognition that:
- the purpose of a liberal arts education is to develop the personal and intellectual capacities of an individual by expanding his or her capacity to think clearly and critically, to judge wisely, to act humanely, responsibly and collaboratively, and to communicate effectively;
- in pursuing these goals, a liberal arts education offers the most effective preparation in an ever-changing world for a lifetime of meaningful and productive work, commitment to civic and community leadership, and personal growth and happiness; and
- residential liberal arts colleges, with the kind of community of learning and living they create, offer one of the most transforming environments in which to pursue a postsecondary education.
The scale, the shared educational goals, the residential community environment, the focus on the undergraduate and the availability of a faculty committed to teaching as much as to research create a unique educational environment - a national, even an international resource, in the age of universities. Such an environment can develop the person as well as the mind. Only by dealing with the whole person can undergraduate education prepare an individual for a fulfilling lifetime in an increasingly global, ever-changing and technologically based environment. |
